Incident Overview

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm after a 25-year-old man was seriously injured in an alleged rock-throwing attack in the car park of a Hungry Jacks restaurant in Falcon, a suburb of Mandurah, south of Perth. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon, according to police.

Police said the man was allegedly pelted with rocks during an altercation with a group of juveniles outside the store on Olive Rd, about 70km south of Perth. The man lost consciousness and fell to the ground, and was later taken to Peel Health Campus in Mandurah with severe facial injuries. He has since been released from hospital.

Mandurah acting senior sergeant Jamie Raper said the man will require ongoing medical treatment with a long road to recovery ahead.

Police Account

Western Australia Police said the altercation took place between a group of juveniles and a 25-year-old man, with the man allegedly having rocks thrown at him before the 14-year-old allegedly threw a rock that caused him to fall face first on the bitumen, leaving him unconscious. Police said the man and the group did not know each other.

Sgt Raper said the footage of the incident was very confronting, describing it as "horrific." He said police believed there might have been an earlier altercation inside the restaurant where the juveniles were potentially harassing workers, and that the man had stepped in to protect those workers.

"We don't encourage people to step into these incidents ... we don't want members of the community hurt, we'd prefer if they do step back and call Triple Zero," Sgt Raper said.

The man had a seizure after being knocked unconscious, Sgt Raper said.

Witness Account

Witness Joel Marsh told 6PR he noticed the teens "causing trouble or mucking around" before the man started talking to them. Marsh said he and his partner were the first to reach the man and tried to put him in the recovery position, but he was not conscious and was fitting at that stage.

Marsh said he grabbed one of the youths who wanted to have another go at the injured man on the ground after all the other teens fled. He said the injured man's father then arrived, took hold of the teen and held him until police arrived.

Police Investigation

Police have since arrested and charged a 14-year-old boy with assault occasioning bodily harm. He will appear in court later this month, according to police. A Falcon boy has been charged with assault and fronted court on Monday, as reported by PerthNow.

Sgt Raper said police knew the identities of others in the group and were investigating further. The incident was filmed and posted on social media, with at least six juveniles seen crowding around the man in a car park, some filming on their phones. The ABC has blurred the identities of the people in the video for legal reasons.

Anyone with footage or information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.